Sofia Vergara covers the April issue of Esquire, which is appropriately labelled the “Sex Issue.” Surprisingly, Sofia does not speak one word during the entire interview about her rack! However, she does utter “voluptuous” at one point but it’s only as a general descriptor and not really about herself or her, you know, massive rack. As with many Esquire cover stories, the interview is somewhat offbeat; this one is conducted by a journalist, Cal Fussman, who has been married to a Latina woman for two decades. Naturally, he seeks advice from Sofia, and the piece is ultimately geared towards American men who want to understand, date, and possibly hook up with or marry a Latina woman. Much discussion is had about Sofia’s American boyfriend, Nick Loeb, and how he handles such challenges. It’s sort of a charming exchange, and here are some excerpts:

On patience as a virtue: “There’s always a lot going on. Nick wonders how I can get really mad and scream, then turn around, do something, come back, and forget that I was mad. The first time it happened, he thought, This woman is insane. One time I was screaming with my sister. Then the next day, I told him I was having lunch with her. He said, ‘How? You were just fighting with her!’ I didn’t even realize it was weird or insane until I came here. It’s not out of the ordinary where I come from. Everybody’s like that. It’s better that way. You forget about what’s bothering you. It’s not like you’re holding it inside, you know? You get it out — and it’s over with.”

On family: “Sometimes it can be bad to have too much family. Everybody gets involved in your problems, giving their opinion, gossiping, and making drama. But when bad things happen, they will be there to support you. Nick had a big accident a year and a half ago. He was in the hospital for a month. More people came to take care of me taking care of him than came to see him. He said, ‘Wow, this is amazing!’”

On dressing sexy: “That’s where it’s up to the Latina to be intelligent and choose a guy who can handle that. If a Latina falls in love with someone who is insecure, it can be a nightmare. I’ve had girlfriends who’ve been with really jealous guys, and it’s like they’re never enjoying you. You’re at a party and they’re just watching your every move.”

On cheating: “Latin men have something inside them, a genetic disposition to be a little sneaky. A Latin woman has to watch for that. An American guy might think twice before going there. He’s thinking ahead, This could turn into a problem that’s just not worth it. The Latin guy might love the drama and thrill of it in the moment. In the past, Latin men were known to keep mistresses. As long as the wife didn’t hear any gossip about it, or there wasn’t any less money for her that month, I guess she put up with it. But that was years ago. Things have changed. Women now work. Women feel like they don’t have to take that sh-t anymore.”

On sex: “I guess at the end of the day, all women like to be appreciated and treated with respect and kindness. We all want to have sex in a romantic way. But with a Latina, you’re going to have more fun”

On American swimsuits: “It’s like a diaper. It’s terrible. Who can look good in that? When I moved to the United States, I used to have bathing suits brought up from Colombia. There’s nothing slutty about a dental-floss bikini. You don’t even think about it. The first bathing suit your mother buys you is in the shape of a triangle.”

On female beauty: “Well, in Colombia everybody’s very voluptuous and you’re supposed to be. You don’t want to be skinny when all of your cousins are mermaids. You grow up thinking that’s how beauty is.”

See? Sofia’s so straightforward and matter of fact about these things, and she just can’t help herself but to be endearing to both men and women alike. It would be easy to pick on her for saying that Latinas are better in the sack, but she’s probably just having fun and playing around with her rep. It’s her shtick, and she’s representing like crazy.

As for the Esquire photoshoot, it feels like I’ve seen Sofia look this way so many times before, but it works. And if it’s not broken, well, you know what they say, right?

“Nick wonders how I can get really mad and scream, then turn around, do something, come back, and forget that I was mad.”

I come from a very Mediterranean family, and oh boy, tempers do flare up quickly. And as quickly, we get over it. Leaves people around us breathless. And helpless on what to do. Butt out is the answer btw.

She surprises people who are a tad more reserved, but she shows off how you can be outspoken, outrageous, and all over attention-seeking without becoming fame-whoring. Hello Kim and Paris, and the rest of the gang. This is how it is done!

I love her! As a Latina I recognize the tongue-in-cheek attitude we have about ourselves, it comes from years of being considered an “other” and an “outsider” in this country. We don’t realize our differences until Americans point them out. I love her attitude, you just know she is going to be a salty, brassy old broad!

I don’t have enough experience dating Latino men to deny it! LOL I’ve dated one Latino guy in my life. The one time I know for sure I was cheated on, it was my white ex-boyfriend.

I guess all I’m saying is, that was pretty bold of Sofia to attribute such a negative character trait to an entire (or most of) group of Latino men. I mean, if she said, “Black men have a genetic disposition to robbing liquor stores,” or “Asian men are, genetically, bad tippers,” or whatever…the s&%$ would hit the fan! LOL

She wasn’t lying. My grandfather taught his boys to shag as many women as they wanted as long as the “wife never knows”. You can see how well THAT turned out when he and my mom got together. She was having none of that, so it was a disaster.

Although she’s right, more and more woman are refusing to put up with that sh_t and are ditching their cheating men, but times are not changing fast or often enough for Latino men to get the point that cheating is wrong (IMHO).

It’s not so much a schtick as tongue in cheek humor. You mention you’re Irish? Well, I work with some “Irish” women (you’re not Irish if you are beyond 2nd generation) and Italian women in the Boston area…they have a bit of a rep for being prejudiced and cold towards others.

It’s not entirely fair, not everyone outside of Boston is like that but there is a core group of women that exhibit that old guard Irish Southie thing.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_Paddy

Anyway, in respect to Sofia she is making these statemements but I don’t think she believes them as ABSOLUTES. As “INeedANap” stated it really comes down to being an “other” in this country for soo looong. The Irish and Italians that I speak of in my city love to talk about how Irish and Italian they are but that they are also the most American people but view other people as foreigners.

It’s really interesting. I just think Sofia loves her cultural background but doesn’t take it (or how Americans are about it) as seriously too.

Wow, you drop your past ancestry after the 2nd generation is born in the U.S.? Even if your family hasn’t married any American Indians? Wow, what a discovery! I bet that would be news to a lot of people, and to geneticists!

Are you aware of how offensive the word “paddy” is, Lisa?
I would hope not, but based on your post it would appear you have no qualms with using offensive language.
Hope I never run into you in Boston.

I was born and raised in Ireland (County Mayo, I have the Mayo Blue eyes and all) and only moved to the US for grad school and stayed because I fell in love. So, not sure what you’re trying to say, Lisa, but since it makes little to no sense, I’ll just ignore it.

And my initial comment simply meant that ALL ancestries, ALL nationalities have their quirks and the like, because they are ALL people. I happen to be a rather fiery blue eyed redhead from Westport.

I wasn’t trying to be offensive and NEVER mentioned anything about skintone (someone else must have brought that up) People in Latin America are from EVERYWHERE else unless you are of indigenous descent. Sofia for example has Polish ancestry. But she never calls herself Polish. I’m Latina and have Latina friends of German ancestry, Irish, English to Lebanese, etc. We are from everywhere and there were not anti-miscegenation laws in our countries. So people vary from Black to Tan to Light and Pale, etc.

What I’m saying is that they don’t hyphenate their background like we do in the US. I hope that makes sense.

Also I’m not entirely wrong about the statement about not being (insert whatever ethnicity here) after second generation. A lot of people in the international community don’t get it when someone just calls themselves “Irish” or something and they are not from there.

I’ll give you an example. My cousin was doing study abroad program in Australia and they were doing icebreakers and had to state where they were from and what school, etc. Well one girl was from the US and called herself Irish, just Irish. Meanwhile, there really was a girl there from Ireland! And she couldn’t understand why the girl did not refer to herself as American or maybe even Irish American…not just Irish because she didn’t have citizenship there or grow up there or even visit the country. So that’s what I’m talking about.

Just check this out too:

uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090210010945AAmcdVQ

“What it boils down to is the you are American not Irish. Why aren’t you just proud to be American? You see it all the time i.e. Italian American, Dutch American, Chinese American. My friend’s father is American but she doesn’t consider herself American English, just English with an American father.
I find it really weird.
By the way, Plastic Paddy can mean anyone not just Americans.”

I have both Irish and Venezuelan lineage, (although by Lisa’s standards I am American only and have no right to my ancestry)and I cannot even comprehend how you can make such sweeping and general statements against an entire sub group of women. You should be ashamed of yourself.
I just cant believe you would feel it’s appropriate to reference one’s pallor in that manor. Can someone be to pale to be beautiful? Too dark? Ignorance abounds in this section today. Ick.

How do I sounded bigoted? YOU are the one making statements like you’d “take Sofia over a pale Irish woman” any day. I don’t care if you’re “white”. That doesn’t mean someone isn’t prejudiced against other Caucasians.

I am beginning too to seriously- I mean seriously- be over her, she targeted a market, adjusted a fabricated persona and now she is serving always the exact same kind of interviews: when it’s not about the boobs, it’s about being latina, and when it’s not about bein latina it’s all about the boobs! What a cliché I found it even offensive to latina women, women have way more depth and substance than the 2 dimensional character she is pulling latinas or not!

and besides there are gorgeous and fun women in all ethnicities, asian, latinas, blacks, whites, middle eastern, indians,etc.

There is no ethnicity that will gives you the ability to be on the top of the dating pool, but your specific individual qualities can..

You’re taking it too seriously. She was asked. It’s not fair but yea she was asked.

I don’t think she is that calculating I think she IS smart to try and turn these stereotypes and not let them own her, she owns them. It’s not like some other actresses that comply with the stereotypes. She’s like whatever.

I just think people want to hate her, like they do Jennifer Lopez, Zoe Saldan, Jessica Alba, etc.

If you really want to be mad be mad at the interviewer, the magazine(s) that perpetuate a feeling of “Look at how exotic that women is.”

I don’t think Sofia plays into that she just embraces her femininity and sexuality. I see that those women get hated on a lot. From Marilyn Monroe to Jennifer Lopez to Angelina. People don’t acknowledge that they’re human and have other sides to them too. People are just hard on women. But Sofia doesn’t reflect so badly on Latinas (so far she hasn’t had any scandals or whatever or said anything too bad).

It’s a little old but applies to all women and men of color in the media today:

“Hill Collins, a graying woman, does well in mentioning how the internet and other new technologies are affecting Black folk and other minorities. Her analysis of J.Lo, the film “Booty Call”, and the rap “Get Yo’ Freak On” shows that she is very knowledgeable about youth culture.”

@Deena: maybe you are the one interpretating wayyyyy too much my comment!!!

I don’t care about the clichés she is carying but she is starting to get VERY SERIOUSLY on my nerves…

To answer you a few on the clichés she is carrying:

She is coloring her hair dark (while she is blonde) and manages to make her accent way worse than it actually is to comply whith the most basic cliché of the latina.Where is the empowerment in that?? she is playing a clichéat its most archaic edge: the -exotic-sexy-harmless-always-laughing -always happy-latina(put a pinapple on her head and she is ready for a musical from the 50′s!!) how it’s not offensive to latinas to stereotype them into such a superficial and undephtfull bracket?

if it was a black woman trying to push such clichés on her ethnicity everybody will be quite shocked!

The way to break them (clichés) and make a succesful career without even falling anywhere the cliché? two words: Viola Davis.

And besides I wasn’t even talking about that aspect of her, I was saying that I find her fake and fabricated, she just knows how to cook and serve it.

And she doesn’t have to put down other ethnicities in order to make hers look better, saying “with a latina you’ll have more fun” is offensive to all other women who are not latinas while I am sure there are plenty sexy women all over the world( italians, brazilians, swede, thai, russian, french… to only begin withthe one with clichés too..).

PS: Oh and I am having a Phd in anthroplogy (urban anthropology) so I don’t even want to get started on sexual images and social representations of women in medias and society…

A little full of herself. Latin women embrace plastic surgery and it is the norm for them. It is all about the hair, the makeup, and the fake body. American woman prefer to be fit and have a more natural look. All women have their own appeal.

That’s unfair…any sociologist or historian (or person with an understanding of cultural studies) will explain that any preoccupation amongst Latinas and many of other Ethnic women can be traced to colorism or imperialism. It’s not always because someone is “shallow” it could be,for example, Black women are pressured to straighten their hair, etc. In Latin America the causes are more invisible because they are a hyperdescent society whereas the US is historically hypodescent. Being Latina I’ve been upset when I had aunts or my Mom pressure me about straightening my hair and being more gussied up all the time but I hate to hear SOMEONE else criticize them without understanding it. Besides Brazil is the worst because they actually FUND implants and things for the poorest of the poor instead of literacy, etc.

Also, I didn’t read any narcissism in her answers. A winking tone, yes. Arrogance, no.

@deena:
ok so how do you explain that some asian (japanese to name them) and a lot of europeans (ex: british girl with curly hair)straighten they hair too? it is post-colonialism since these 2 examples are taken from 2 cultures who used to be colons?

This is not a post-colonialism underlying residual behavior this is an unamed but very strong code of our modern society that we have to show that we control perfectly our own bodies in order to be considered as reliable and able to be successful in our society (same with weight and exercising, the social underlying standard under those two is control, ex: out of shape= out of your own control==> means unreliable if unable to control your own self, that’s why the more you climb the social classes tree, the more people are thin and fit).

This is just an illustration, the explanation of the “controlling behavior” in our society is much much more complex since every single individual has hundreds of social strenghts and anthropological reflexes that conditionate him (ancestors, social upbringing, family history, religion, education,geographic location etc.)and make each individual very unique in its own perception of a social standard.

And that has nothing to do with post-colonialism behavior!!

and how post-colonialism can explain to extend plastic surgery?

and yes Sofia vergara should weight more her words, she is a mature woman who knows perfectly her wording not an ingenue! and she sounds quite arrogant and a litlle bit full of herself (and I used to really like her!)

Yes, as it may be common for South American women to enhance their bodies through methods such as cosmetic surgery, there are also many, and I include myself there, that like their bodies for what they are, small breasts and all!

I like her! She was funny in Chasing Papi and I remember when she appeared in telenovelas. Her accent always seemed thick to me. I don’t hear that much of a difference but then I’m not checking for her like that either. She’s awesome!

I understand what Lisa is trying to say. Many people from other countries don’t understand when Americans describe themselves as “Italian-American” or “Polish-American” or insert whatever nationality you want in there. Yes, it is true our country is a melting pot so technically everyone’s ancestors come from a different country. My mom’s ancestors are from Ireland and my dad is from France (as in he grew up there and lived there). People are proud of their heritage–that’s great.

But what Lisa was trying to point out is that non-Americans don’t understand the fuss we make about clinging to the past. It has nothing to do with not having a right to your lineage! Just a case of cultural differences. People in other countries don’t usually identify with their past ancestors who came from a different country–that’s more of a weird cultural American thing.

But see, Amy, she was responding primarily to me because I said I was Irish. I am. Born and bred, came to the US at age 20 and stayed because I fell for a boy. Now I hold dual citizenship (naturalised US citizen). I’m not a “plastic paddy” or whatever the term she used was.

And yes, I actually agree with the bottom line – that Americans are one of the few cultures that identify more with their ancestral heritage than with being “American.” It’s almost as if it’s a confusion between cultural ancestry and nationality. I don’t tend to state my ancestry with any of the people who invaded Ireland throughout history. I say I’m “Irish-American” now because I hold citizenship in both countries. And I still lived in Ireland for 6 more years than I’ve lived in America.

And frankly.. WHO CARES what people from other countries think about how Americans view their ancestry? I don’t need to be validated by someone in the UK who doesnt have the sane concept when it comes to immigration and assimilation.
She also used a highly offensive term to describe the Irish which could be compared to other inexcusable and derogatory terms used for other ethnicities. Indefensible.

Get all the angry you want at me, and her for playing the Latina role. But it’s true, us Latinas are very happy people, men as well, even through the hardships our countries endure we still face life with a smile on our faces.

Also we can be playful and out-there when it comes to the bedroom, naturally so, I guess men really could enjoy that. I just do it with the person I am in love with, not any random guy.

Haha. Im 100% Honduran, both mom & dad come from Honduras. I consider myself Honduran-American, but when I go to Europe, I just tell folks Im Honduran (they can tell by my accent Im American). My boyfriend is English and he hands down agrees with Sophia. Hes absolutely infatuated with my latin looks and tells me no other ethnicity compares. :0) He does think Reese Witherspoon is a hottie, which I think is cool.